Leave Out All The Rest
by Alidiabin
Summary: Ziva gets a call. She remebers the good memories instead of the bad.


Disclaimer: I own nothing

_**Leave Out All The Rest**_

The bullpen was silent except for McGee's furious typing, Gibbs' coffee sipping and the occasional chuckle escaping from Tony's mouth as he read 'Oddee' instead of doing paperwork. Ziva's cell phone wailed. A tiny groan escaped the Israeli-American, who was recovering from one of Abby's 'girls nights out'. She grabbed the vibrating object.

"Buzz" it wailed "Buzzzzzzzzzz"

"Dah-veed" She uttered shrilly. "Shalom Primeminster" she whispered a few seconds later. Tony's head shot up as she walked to the window uttering in formal Hebrew. A few seconds later she hung up leaning on the pumpkin wall her face pale, her eyes filled with tears that she knew shouldn't be there. She took a deep breath and ran towards the staircase. Literally a second after Ziva disappeared Vance appeared. The guts of the three agents went into overdrive. He looked at Ziva's recently evacuated desk. He raised his eyebrow at the mug containing her hangover cure. He then turned to Gibbs.  
"Where's Ziva" he asked. At the point Gibbs' gut decided something was very wrong. Vance didn't call Ziva by her first name. Vance didn't wait for an answer. "Eli David died last night" he said matter of factly. Tony rushed up running towards the stairs. Rushing to his partner.

Ziva stood on the roof. Despite the great height she felt safe. She paced the concrete perhaps hoping to make the surprise feeling of sadness disappear. Since she heard the Primeminsters voice on the other end of the phone she had known something was wrong. She had stood numb for just twenty-seconds before every possible emotion screamed inside of her. She had expected to feel something that was synonymous with joy. Or at least something along the lines of relief. She hadn't. She was upset. Angry. She finally worked out she was grieving. Just as she had grieved for her Aunt, Uncle, Grandparents, Sister, Brother, Mother and other people she had lost before her father.

She sat against the wall in front of the stairwell. Memories flooded her. Not sad or bad memories just one of the few happy memories the David's had shared.

_Four and three quarter year old Ziva ran through the house. Her mother was heavily pregnant with Tali. Her father was in his office. The door closed as usual.  
"Eli" Nadia shouted shrilly. The door opened and Eli walked towards his wife and daughter. His sleeves rolled up. Ziva stood near her parents as they whispered. Nadia's hand rubbed her belly. Eli rubbed Nadia's belly. He looked down at Ziva. She looked up at him her hair that had been neat pigtails just two hours earlier at lunch, now a mess of curls. Eli also noted Ziva had managed to lose a sock. He picked her up. Nadia walked down the hall and into the master bedroom which had always seemed more Nadia's room that Eli and Nadia's room. Eli lead Ziva to the office and placed her on the floor.  
"You have to let your mother rest Ahava" Eli whispered using her pet name that meant love. The name usually only her mother used. "It's not good for her or your brother"  
"Sister" Ziva corrected, her mother had told Ziva she knew the baby was a girl because a mother always knew, Eli of course still hoped for a son to carry on the legacy, even though Nadia had been correct in predicting Ziva would be a girl before she was born. She looked around the small office. The desk was covered in paper. The cream wall fairly bare except for a photo of Eli and some other man and a photo of Eli holding a baby Ziva didn't recognize dressed in blue. On the other wall an Israeli flag and a butterfly in a box. Eli placed a piece of paper and a pencil in front of Ziva.  
"Junior Officer David" he said in a fun tone hoping to distract Ziva for a few hours so he could work. "You have a mission" Ziva looked up at him.  
"What iwsit Sir?" Ziva asked jumbling her words due to her enthusiasm. A hardly uncommon occurrence as she had mastered four languages in as many years.  
"Draw a picture to apologize to Ima" Eli said. Ziva begun to draw when boredom struck she looked around the office Eli wasn't doing his work either. He was looking at her smiling. She yawned and closed her eyes. She felt hands around her and heard a chuckle come from Eli's lips.  
"Come on Ahava" Eli whispered. Ziva kept her eyes closed as they moved across the office. They sat down in Elis chair. Ziva didn't open her eyes again until the sun was setting and her Mother Nadia stood in the doorway, her hand on her enlarged belly smiling as Eli snored. _

"Ziva" Tony said reaching the stairs. Ziva looked at him.  
"He died" Ziva said. Her voice still and calm much like it had been after Tony killed Michael.  
"Vance told us" Tony told her as he wrapped his arms around her. He felt Ziva melt.  
"He was good sometimes" Ziva whispered her voice soft.

_Nineteen year old Ziva stood in Eli's office. Eli looked at her. He olive army uniform was untucked and soaked. Her face ashen and the rings around her eyes a darker colour than her hair.  
"Ziva we weren't expecting you home until next month" Eli said handing her a towel.  
"Did I wake Ima or Tali?" Ziva asked as she poured herself a glass of some liquor she couldn't pronounce. She put the glass to her lips hoping the liquid would bring relief.  
"No, we both know they can sleep through anything" Eli exclaimed. Ziva smiled both her parents were polar opposites when it came to sleep. Nadia could sleep for twelve hours and according to Tali's rambling letters, that she Ziva monthly, Nadia often took a pill and slept most of the day. Eli on the other hand lived on black coffee and cigarettes and never sleeping longer that two hours. Ziva and Tali were in the middle, Ziva requiring four hours and Tali requiring eight to be functioning humans. Ziva's smile faded and she perched on the edge of the desk.  
"Ahava what is wrong?" Eli asked using her pet name for the first time in a long while.  
"A man in my unit was killed" Ziva whispered looking down. Eli's hand touched hers.  
"An unfortunate occurrence in our line of work" Eli said names and faces of dead colleges' flashing through his mind like film credits.  
"Papa he didn't want to be a solider. He was simply doing his time." Ziva said her voice rising "Zohar was going to be a doctor" Eli looked at Ziva. She used the dead soldiers' first name; Eli knew that rationality wouldn't work. Ziva had befriended the man whose obituary Eli had read that morning. Eli watched as tears glistened on her skin. Eli put his arm around her. The rain battered the windows allowing Ziva's tears to go un_heard.

Tony watched now over fifteen years later as tears fell down her face. As she sobbed not for the monster Eli became but those few memories she had clung too. Her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead. Silence fell between them. His fingers wiped her tears. Even though he didn't understand how Ziva could mourn the man who left her to die. He sure as hell wasn't leaving her.

A/N: Inspired by the Linkin Park song. Ahava according to a website means love.


End file.
